I'd Like To Like You
by S. Mark Gunther
Summary: RogueTodd. Rogue and Todd meet and a new pairing emerges, much to people's amazement. Read and Review.
1. Late Nights, New Old Feelings

I'd Like To Like You (Even If No One Understands Why)  
By S. Mark Gunther 

Imagine there's no one around   
Imagine you're not just a face in the crowd   
There's a new set of rules  
No more pain of confusion  
You're numb to the world that you know  
I'm constantly feeling like nothing's bringing me down  
Cause you're always around  
With you I see stars in your eyes  
In a trance we're alive  
Ten feet off of the ground  
Let's turn it up now!  
-- from 'Flickerstick - Lift (With Love We Will Survive)' 

*** __

Ever since Wanda's been here in Bayville, I've felt lonelier then ever before. Not because she doesn't like me like I like her, you see, but because all I've ever wanted from her on the base level was for her to be my friend. I thought we had something in common. I thought wrong.

God I hate loving her. I, however, hate more the idea that I've clung to the women in my life because they're always gone. The guys will always be there...mabye. But the women? Never. First Rogue, then Tabitha, now Wanda. All of them go. None of them stay. I wish it was different but it's not. It's always that they leave before they find out how much of a nice person I can be.

I hate being alone like this. I mean, it's not natural for people to be alone like this. But that seems to be the way things just go for me. No one gives a shit that my mutation makes washing with soap almost a sucidial proposition because of the chemicals...no one gives a shit about me wanting to find someone I'd risk that for. No one gives a shit about me.

That would be ok if I didn't feel like I'm being cheated out of something in my life. Friendship. Love. People who care. I mean, at one point, I thought Tabitha cared...but she didn't. She was too busy running from everything in her past to care for a screwed up little frog boy. I guess I'm glad she didn't have the time to care...but she left like everyone else. Left me here alone, she did. Stupid bitch. I miss her.

Of course, I never got the chance to tell Rogue how much I liked her and wanted to get to know her. Didn't guess she'd turn out to be one of the X-Geeks. I wonder if she knew. I wonder if she'd ever take the time to talk to me. I guess that's all I'll ever do. Wonder. I'll just keep on wondering if things might have been possible because i'm too much of a chickenshit to deal with the fact that I like girls and don't want them to reject me.

So why the fuck did I ever try to get involved with Wanda in the first place? What made me think I could possibly rely on her to take the loneliness away? I wish I knew. I wish I knew so that it would make it easier to ignore her and not want to speak to her and not want to know she's alive. It would be so much easier to block her out, to keep her from hurting me by not being there. But I can't. I wish I could.

Wishing. Always fucking wishin', I am. Never fucking succeeding, always ten steps behind the other motherfuckers in the race. Doesn't help matters much that I'm not some projectile shooting badass fighting machine, does it? Is it going to be like this forever? Am I ever going to find someone who'll help me be ok with the loneliness? It'd be easier if there were moments when this shit was managable. But it's never easy enough to forget about.

And it's not going to get easier. Shit, I'm not stupid. Things are going to get much tougher now that Kelly is the hot shit in local politics. You don't have to be a genius to know he wants us exterminated. I've seen it in that man's eyes: He ain't got no love for us. So we don't have no love for him. Fine. I can deal with that. What I can't deal with is the idea that this is going to be my motherfucking life, yo. This is going to be my life in the land of the free and the home of the brave. Bullshit.

At the end of the day...I'm still lonely and alone. I wish things would happen that would take this aloneness away, yo. I'm tired of being alone...

--- 

Todd closed his journal and looked off into the distance of the grounds of the Xavier School for the Gifted. It was an unseasonably warm december night and he felt it was time to write yet another entry in his journal of unhappiness. He looked around and saw no one. But that didn't mean he was alone. He found this out as he stood up from under the tree he was sitting against and turned the corner and nearly fell over Rogue who was passing by in the darkness.

"Hey!" Rogue gasped as the younger boy flew across her plane of space and fell at her feet. She stepped back and saw his sprawled out on the ground, his notebook just behind her. "What are you doing here?"

"...I was just leaving, yo," Todd said as he hopped himself up and dusted off. He looked up at Rogue's face, framed in the moonlight and felt a strange twinge of the past come back to his memory. He wanted to leave. And soon. At that moment, he noticed that his journal was gone. He looked at the girl in a bit of a shock. "Yo, you seen my book?"

"What?"

"My notebook. I was writing stuff and my notebook is gone now, yo," Todd said as he looked around. Rogue stepped back and promptly stepped on the cover. Feeling the difference in texture under her foot, she looked down and picked it up. Normally, Rogue wasn't the kind of person to read other people's things. But as she picked up the book and looked at it under the light of the moon to close it, she noticed that her name was on the page. She frowned; this wasn't something she wanted to see.

"Why is my name in your book, Toad?" Rogue asked, adding more then a little bit of southern belle bitchiness to her voice. Todd heard this and cringed inwardly but kept his face stoic and dismissive on the outside.

"I was just writing, yo. I'd appreciate it if you'd give me my book back, Rogue."

"No. I'm gonna see what you wrote about me. Ah'm not a fan of people talking or writing things about me behind my back."

"NO! Rogue, don't. Please...it's not your's, yo. Don't read my stuff."

"It's either you let me read this, or I'll tell Wolverine you were here on the grounds," Rogue said, her voice neutral. She was going to get to the bottom of this, she knew it. Todd sighed and looked down at the ground.

"If you're gonna read it, yo, read the last page I wrote. The stuff I was writing before I bumped into you." Todd's voice was oddly lifeless, enough so that it made Rogue take notice.

"Why?"

"'Cause then you'll know why I didn't want you to read my journal."

Rogue turned to the last page and read all the lines Todd wrote. her eyes read over how much Todd was lonely and wanting to be with people. She read how much he didn't want to like Wanda anymore...and how much he really liked her. She blushed a little as she read over Todd's words. Her fingers turned pages and she found more and more entries about her in connection to his loneliness. More and more she skimmed and more and more she felt herself feeling like she was intruding on something very personal to him. Todd stood looking down at the ground, feeling lower then dirt now.

"Todd?"

"Huh?" Todd looked up at Rogue in shock. "You called me by my first name, yo."

"Isn't Todd your name?"

"Yeah...but no one calls me Todd anymore. Toad is more hurtful, yo."

"I don't wanna hurt you." Silence, then... "I want to talk to you, Todd."

"Why? Gonna tell me how much you are flattered but don't wanna be my friend?" Todd said, his voice flat but his words ringing through with pain. Rogue felt this and for a moment, lost her nerve to do what she wanted to do. But just as soon as it left, it came back.

"Actually, I wanted to ask you if you wanted to come to the mansion and watch a movie with me," Rogue asked softly. "I know how it is to be lonely, Todd. Hell, if I had stayed with the Brotherhood I might have done this with you a long time before."

"You actually want to spend time with me?" Todd asked, not hoping to hope.

"Yeah. After reading this," Rogue said waving the book a little, making Todd cringe just a little, "I figure we need to talk. And ah'm not going to let you go back to the Brotherhood house lonely and sad."

"At least until after you break my heart?" Todd asked, still not able to stop the incredulous feelings from flowing out of his mouth. As soon as he said it, he felt bad. Once again, he had put his foot into his mouth. "Rogue, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to say that. I'm just...a little surprised, yo..."

"It's ok. I understand. I've been there before, believe me." Todd nodded and both of them looked down at the ground for a long moment.

"So...we gonna go in, yo? It's getting kinda cold out here," Todd said softly.

"You're going to stay?"

"Yeah. Got nowhere else to go anyway." At that, Rogue took hold of Todd's arm in her gloved hand and lead him through the trees and bushes to the mansion. They went in a side door and soon were in one of the main playrooms. No one was there but a warm feeling seemed to eminate from the room even with the dark walls. Rogue twisted a knob and low track lighting came on. A TV sat against a wall and a couch was directly opposite it on the other wall. Rogue sat down and Todd sat on the other side of the couch, trying instinctively to keep as much distance between she and him as possible.

"Todd, you don't have to be that far away from me," Rogue said softly. Todd looked at her for a moment then slowly shook his head.

"I...I'm really not all that comfortable being around you right now, yo. I'll be ok here. For now."

"But I want to be next to you, Todd. I want to be your friend, strange though that might seem."

"Why me?"

"Why not?" Todd raised his eyebrows a little and looked away. Seconds passed and neither spoke.

"Well, for starters, I'm a dirty slimeball frog boy. I don't smell good cause of my mutation, yo, and I'm happy to be here not saying a word to you for fear I'd make a fool of myself." Todd looked back at Rogue for a moment, his eyes glowing very slightly. "And besides, I'm still not sure why you'd waste your time with a creep like me anyway."

"From what I read, you've liked me from the very beginning, Todd. That's enough of a reason for me to at least see if there could be something. I mean, I know I'm pretty...but dealing with both Scott and Remy has made me want someone who doesn't see me as a cute piece of ass and wants me for more. You do. And I'd like to see if something with you could work."

"With me?"

"With you." Rogue softly held Todd gaze while she pressed a button on the remote to turn off the silent television. As the glow faded, the room faded into semi-darkness. "I remember my last night in the house, the night you brought me dinner and tried to talk to me. No one else even tried and you did. I knew then you liked me and it made me feel good. I wish I had stayed with the Brotherhood longer so I could have talked to you more, Todd. You're not seeing what I see and that's a shame. You're not ugly like you think you are."

"You're just kidding me, Rogue. Stop."

"I'm not. When have you ever known me to kid anyone about anything?" Todd smiled despite his mood in the darkness and nodded a little. "You remind me of a smaller, less rough edged Lance. You try to act like such a badass but deep inside I know there's a sweet guy there. Like Lance was."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. And there's one other thing: You love me. I can tell it by the look in your eyes."

"...How do you know this, Rogue? It's not like we spoke much, yo," Todd asked back, his wonderment showing on his face despite the darkness. Rogue smiled at this and her cheeks began to color slightly as she spoke.

"You have a very expressive face, Todd. Your eyes show that you love me instead of showing that you think that I love you. You're honest in your eyes. You're one of the few boys in this damned town who isn't afraid to let his feelings known. I just knew where to look."

"Ok, fine, yo. I like you a lot. But what now? It's not like you'd ever go out with me...or be able to touch me...or kiss me, yo. It's not like it matters all that much," Todd said softly. Rogue slid over and reached out to touch Todd's hand with her gloved palm. Todd looked at her softly and saw the emotion on her face despite the darkness.

"I can touch you. And kiss you. If you'd like," Rogue said in a soft voice.

"Yes! But...how?"

"I'll tell you soon. But for now...would you like me to kiss you, Todd?" Todd hesitated for just a moment before leaning over and kissing Rogue on the cheek. Finding out that nothing happened shocked the pale green boy, giving Rogue time to turn his face and allow her to kiss his lips very gently. Their first kiss was soft and slow and gentle. When it ended Todd pulled back and rubbed his slightly webbed hand against Rogue's cheek.

"Rogue...I gotta go. I gotta go, yo..." Todd stood up only to have his arm tugged on by Rogue's gloved hand.

"Please...stay, Todd."

"Rogue, I promise I'll come back soon...but I gotta go think about all this. I gotta go, yo," Todd replied as he gently pulled away and hopped out of the room. Rogue looked down and sighed. Yet another boy she had scared away by her eagerness. She looked at her hands and wished that she wasn't feeling the feelings that she was; that she needed to touch everyone, to kiss everyone who loved her, to make up for all that lost time. She was so engrossed in her thoughts that she didn't notice Todd coming back into the room until he had tipped up her chin and kissed her very softly. His tounge slid inbetween her lips and she instinctively pushed back until she realized who it was. Rogue pulled Todd close to her and the two frenched for a moment before Todd pulled back.

"Rogue...meet me at the same spot that we bumped into each other tomorrow night. I'll be there." At that Todd kissed her cheek again and headed out, leaving a slyly smiling Rogue to nodd silently. Little did she know that a tiny camera monitored the entire room and that camera was transmitting a picture to a control room deep in the house. Sitting in front of the particular monitor that showed off Todd and Rogue's first kisses was Jean Greay, holding a surprisingly angry and dissappointed look on her face. She shook her head slightly as she walked out of the room, making sure to have the tape feed she was watching be backed up for further usage.

--- 

Todd walked home, a small smile pasted on his face. He remembered her smell for the first time...her lips on his. He liked knowing he might actually have someone who could grow to like him. He found himself walking into the Brotherhood house still smiling. No one was anywhere in the downstairs so he proceeded to go upstairs. He heard soft crying from Wanda's room...and for a moment, he wondered if he should go and help her. Todd leaned against her door, listening to her sobbing, his heart rusting from the inside as he listening. For a moment, he was lost; his heart felt as if it was tearing between two poles. Then, almost as soon as it started, it stopped inside of him. He realized that he couldn't do anything for her. Not then, and perhaps not ever could he help her.

Todd turned and walked into his room, closing and locking the door behind him. He sat down at his desk and began to write in his journal...

--- 

_ Things have changed...Rogue kissed me! Me! And I didn't fall down and try to help Wanda when she was crying....What the hell is going on here? I wish I knew why Rogue kissed me like she did. I wish I knew why I liked it so much and why I came back to her. I can't wait till tomorrow night._

--- 

Rogue walked to her room and opened the door, only to see Jean sitting on Kitty's bed, looking slightly distraught and worried.

"Jean, why are you in my room in the dark?" Rouge asked, slightly shocked at the situation.

"I'm here because I wanted to ask you why you brought the Toad here in the first place," Jean said calmly but allowing her face to show some worry. "Rogue, we have got to talk."

"Actually, Jean, no we don't. There's nothing for me to say. At all. I had one of my friends over at my house to talk and watch a movie..."

"And kiss him."

"You were spying on me?!" Rouge asked, her voice rising a few decibels from the shock.

"No. I was repairing the cameras in the control room while I was on duty for the weekend and saw you and him kissing. I didn't mean for it to happen Rogue, but we need to talk about this." Rogue closed the door and sat down on her bed, turning on a light by her nightstand as she settled on the cushiony mattress.

"Fine. Let's talk."

"You can't see him. For everyone's sake, Rogue, least of all his, you can't pursue anything with Todd. I know why you kissed him Rogue and I'm not sure he'll like it if he knew you were doing this just to get back at Remy for cheating on you..." Jean said slowly, but Rogue cut her off.

"Jean, you don't even know the half of it," Rogue said softly, shaking her head a little in frustration. "Remy and I are done. Finished. We are done because he cannot commit to anything or anyone. Todd at least tried to care about me. All the time I've been going after the best or the most attractive boys around here and it's all been wrong. Why can't I see what would happen if I hung out with someone who actually liked me?"

"You can't because he's still a member of the Brotherhood! He's our enemy, whether you want to admit it or not," Jean countered. "And besides, he's Toad Tolensky. Why would you even want him in the first place? He's immature, rude, a wimp and dirty to boot."

"And Remy is a thief, a liar, a heartbreaker and a cheat. You'd rather I stay with him and be unhappy?" Rogue counter-countered. Jean sighed and looked away for a moment.

"I'm not saying Remy isn't bad. He's got tons of rough spots we were going to work out here. But Todd cannot be helped! He's nothing more then Magneto's lackey, can't you see that?" 

"He's not. He's my friend. And besides, no one tried to talk to Kitty when Lance and her started going out. And now they've been together so long that no ones even tries to break them up. Are you just mad because you didn't stop them in time and now you want to mess with my life?" Rogue asked, her face reddening a little.

"Rogue," Jean said softly, "I just want you to not get hurt again. You're on the rebound. You're hurting inside. I can hear it all the time. I just want you to be with someone better then him and not for the reasons you're going after him...or anyone."

Neither girl spoke for a long time. A clock ticked out seconds on Kitty's nightstand before Jean finally spoke again.

"Look, I can't really stop you from seeing him. It's not like anyone in this house ever stops getting what they want," Jean said with a frustrated look that softened after a moment, "But please at least promise me you'll play it cool for a little while. He's young, Rogue. He's not ready for what you want. At least, I hope he's not..."

"Jean, I'm not going to have sex with him, if that's what you're thinking," Rogue said with a smile and a roll of her eyes, "But I am going to meet him tomorrow night...and we might kiss again. I'm just not sure what's going on in that boy's head."

"Nontheless, just be careful." Jean got up and walked to the door, opening it to leave.

"Jean," Rogue said before she closed the door, "Why are you taking an interest in this and why do you not like him?" Jean turned and looked back at Rogue, her face showing her surprising maturity at her age.

"I'm taking an interest in this because you're my teammate and my friend. We may not hang out much...but you're still my friend. As for why I don't like Todd...he's just too much like Fred. He just reminds me of all the boys who Scott isn't. I can't really stand boys that have no maturity." A pause. "Why do you like him so much, Rogue?"

"I like him for all the reasons you don't. He's still a kid. He's trying to grow up...but he doesn't want to get old. Mabye I can be more to him then just a crush." At that, Rogue turned off the light and slid into her bed. Jean sighed and closed the door, looking off into the distance with a slightly pained look on her face. She'd have to talk to Todd soon, regardless of what happened between he and Rogue.

*** 

**A/N:**Ok. I'm not sure what to say about this except this is a Rogue/Todd fic and I'll be putting in elements of Wanda/Lance or Wanda/Remy, depending on how I feel. Review. Tell me what I need to improve on. Please.


	2. Jean, The Redhead Mother Hen

Todd woke up and looked around. He still had his clothes from the previous day on and his body lay askew on the rumpled bed. He looked at the clock and saw that it was 9.30 in the morning on a Sunday. He liked knowing that he had the day to himself. Todd slid out of bed and undressed, wrapping a towel around him to go to the shower. Thoughts of the previous evening and the good feelings that came from it so enveloped his mind and body that by the time he realized what he was doing, he was half way down the hall. The idea that he'd actually go and shower was so foreign to him that it didn't register in his mind until he saw his reflection in a hallway mirror. As he looked into the mirror he remembered why he didn't take showers in the first place. He stood looking at himself critically as the door to Wanda's room opened and the Scarlet Witch stepped into the hallway.

"Move it, Toad," Wanda said sharply, her eyes looking distracted and angry.

"Ok." With that, Todd pressed himself against the wall and let Wanda pass him by. Once again, another member of the house was so caught in their thoughts that an obviously out of character moment passed them by before their eyes without so much as a word. Wanda realized about halfway down the stairs that Todd hadn't called her cuddlebumps or shnookums or any of his silly pet names for her. In fact, he hadn't spoken to her at all. This fact made her stop in her tracks and go back up the stairs to see what, in fact, was going on. She proceeded back to where Todd was still looking at himself in the hall mirror and grabbed his shoulder with her hand.

"Ok, you. What's going on?" Wanda demanded.

"What's going on with what?" Todd replied calmly. Wanda shook her head again and tightened her grip on Todd's shoulder a little bit.

"You didn't call me any of your stupid little names, you wart. You didn't even speak to me! What's wrong with you?"

"Um...I just wasn't thinking about you right now, Wanda. I've kind of got some things on my mind. I'm sorry. Would you like me to call you some silly names, yo?" Todd asked a strangely calm look and a small smile on his face. Wanda let his shoulder go and stormed off, her own head beginning to spin even faster then it had been spinning before. Todd looked at her retreating form for just a moment before walking back to his room and slipping back into his clothes from yesterday. He opened his window and hopped down to the ground, his feet taking him to the Bayville Mall. He had work to do.

--- 

Rogue awoke to see sun shining into her room window. She rolled over to her side and saw Kitty Pryde sleeping soundly in her bed. Quietly, she slipped out of bed and walked quickly into the bathroom. For the next few minutes, she washed and cleaned herself, applied her makeup and set her hair into the position she wanted it in. She slipped back out, trying to keep the house as quiet as possible. As she walked back into her room, Rogue could hear any of the denizens of her wing arising from their evenings. She smiled as she slid into her room and out of her towel. A few moments later she was clothed in a short black skirt and a somewhat clingy top, revealing the very pretty figured girl she really was. She took one final look in the mirror before she left the room, careful to not let anyone hear her leave.

Down the hallway and stairwell she crept, keeping a sharp eye out for blue furry mutant somnambulists or red headed early birds. She saw no one and proceeded down to the main garage where she noticed that Logan's second bike was sitting uncovered on one side of the mansion. Rogue smiled to herself for a moment and proceeded to feel around for the second set of keys she knew Logan had hidden on top of one of the shelves.

"Looking for this, Rogue?" Jean's voice said, breaking her out of her reverie. Rogue turned around and saw the redhead standing there with the keys in her hand.

"Yeah. I'd appreciate it if you gave me those," Rogue said, mustering all the southern belle bitchiness she could in her voice. The added emphasis merely rolled off the unflappable Jean Grey as she walked over to Scott's convertible.

"Not a chance. Logan would kill us both if he knew you were riding his bike. Besides, I can take you anywhere you need to go. In fact, where is it that you're going in the first place?" Jean asked, a tiny smile on her face. Rogue rolled her eyes and sighed.

"You're the damn telepath, Jean. You should know already."

"I might have an idea, but I'd like to hear you say it."

"Fine. I want to go to the mall to get some things for Todd. It's not like that's a crime, now is it?" Rogue asked, her hands on her hips daring Jean to say it was wrong that she wanted to do something for the boy she had kissed the night previous. Jean didn't say anything but merely opened the door to Scott's car and motioned for Rogue to get in.

"Come on. I'll drive."

"You're actually doing something for me?"

"I think of this as doing something for me. I won't have to hear Logan's mouth about his bike being wrecked and I'll get to make sure you do your shopping and not go see Todd before tonight." Jean smiled at this, completely missing the slightly pissed look at Rogue was giving her. "Besides, wouldn't you like another girl's opinion about what that boy might like?"

"...fine. But you're not going with me everywhere."

"I don't have to. I just have to make sure we go home together." At that Rogue got into the passenger side and they drove off. Rogue immediately turned the radio on and sat with her arms crossed, a frustrated look on her face. Jean switched the station and Rogue switched it right back. This continued without speaking from either girl for a few minutes before Rogue grew pissed and just shut the radio down entirely.

"Well...I see you're not a classical music fan," Jean said with yet another smile. Rogue fought the urge to claw Jean's eyes out and instead chose a certain spot of dirt to focus her eyes on in the window's outer surface.

"Jean, why are you doing this? Why do you feel like you have to be my mother in all this? I didn't do anything to you to deserve this," Rogue said as calmly as she could.

"I'm doing this because I'm worried about you. I'm worried about you because I know what the ear rings that Dr. McCoy gave you are doing to you. Before Remy left you for girls unknown," Jean said, "I know you were able to control your emotions. But now that you're able to touch and kiss and hug and express things like the rest of us can, I'm just feeling like you're going too far too fast."

"Ah'm a big girl, Jean. I can take care of myself," Rogue said with more then a little bit of frustration creeping into the back of her voice.

"I know you can. But sometimes we need someone to actually make sure we're not making a mistake," Jean countered.

"And you think that me kissing Todd and wanting to be friends with him is a mistake? Jean, you've barely spoken to him and you're telling me that it's a bad idea that I be friends with him. You don't know him like I know him."

"You know him better, Rogue?"

"Of course I do! Who do you think was making sure Kitty and Lance didn't go off the deep end with one another on their dates? I was there at the brotherhood house making friends and talking with everyone, including Todd. Todd was the only person at first who didn't treat me like a traitor, Jean. He didn't speak to me at first...but he didn't run either. He just waited till everyone was gone before saying anything. I liked what I heard." Rogue looked at Jean for a moment. "He made me feel like I was someone more then a cute piece of ass."

"Fine. He does all that. But what makes you think he can deal with you, being so young?" Jean took a sharp turn into the parking lot, sending them both sliding a little to the side.

"I don't know. But I know I want to be friends with him. Maybe more," Rogue said as they pulled to a stop in the parking lot. Jean proceeded to open the door but was stopped by Rogue placing a hand on her forearm. She looked down and noticed that the hand was indeed gloved and covered. "Jean, I know I rushed things with him. I know that I rushed things because deep down I want to touch everything and everyone...but I'd like to see what might happen with him. I'm going to slow things down with Todd but Ah'm not going to stop seeing him. He's different then any guy I've ever even looked at for more then a minute. He makes me feel like Ah'm the reason he does what he does. That's something I've wanted for so long. Now that I can touch and feel"

"...Well, I still want to talk to Todd before you two get together again. He needs to know what's going on if he's going to pursue anything with you. If he hurts you, I'll kick his little froggy ass from here back to New York City," Jean said with an oath. Rogue herself couldn't help but smile at hearing Jean's very uncharacteristically mean words.

"Well, we finally see the mean redhead come out," Rogue said with her own sly smile. Jean looked at Rogue and sighed, shaking her head and smiling ruefully.

"I don't mean to be this clucking mother hen, Rogue, but between your issues with Gambit and Amara's troubles with Pyro...I've become more then a little over protective of you guys. I know deep down you have to be free to make your own decisions," Jean said softly, "But seeing Amara cry after seeing you cry over Gambit made me want to tell all the Acolytes and Brotherhood jerks to go and fuck off. I'm just a little bitter, that's all."

"You? Bitter? Ah'm not sure I'm in the right dimension," Rogue said with a laugh.

"Believe it. I'm a lot more then you might think." At that both girls got out and walked through the parking lot towards the mall. "I'm not some little ivory princess, Rogue. I have feelings too, you know. I just don't have the luxury of throwing temper tantrums when I get angry. Everyone else can get angry in our house but I can't because I'm the mature young lady. You have no idea how much sometimes I'd like to rip someone's face off." Jean's calm voice made Rogue look at her for a moment, more then a little shocked at the idea that someone she figured was completely devoid of anger could actually get pissed.

"Why then are you telling me this, Jean?"

"I want you to know that I do understand why you feel the way you do," Jean said softly. "I'm not made of stone...I just know for us, our emotions have to be handled better. We mutants are built to kill but there's no reason why we should be slaves to what we feel. To be honest...sometimes I get scared that I'll get angry and just smash someone into a wall with my powers. I'd like to make sure others don't go through what I go through, especially you and especially over Todd or Remy."

"That makes sense," Rogue said thoughtfully as both girls hit the front door of the mall. "So what happened with John and Amara?"

"Let's just say John is a Remy in training and leave it at that." Jean looked at Rogue as they walked into the mall and Rogue looked back with a surprised but resigned look on her face. In fact, the moment was so awkward that Jean took a full two seconds extra to turn her head around, nearly running Todd who stood just in front of both girls' walking paths. Todd had his back turned and his head down, his fingers full of money so he never had a chance to get out of the tall redhead's way. Fortunately, his insane sense of balance and body control kept him from sprawling out onto the floor. He looked back at both girls, noting Jean's rather shocked expression and Rouge's sweet smile.

"Oh...hey, yo," Todd said to Rogue with a sweet shy smile. Rogue smiled back and silently waved, her hands ungloved and her skin smooth and soft. Jean noticed that Todd was taking quite a bit of time to look Rogue over and she decided to throw her weight around.

"I hope you're not causing trouble, Toad," Jean said, using Todd's diminutive name to gauge where the slight boy was emotionally. Todd cocked his left eyebrow a little and smirked.

"And hello to you too, Jean. To answer your question, I was here doing a little lifting and a little shopping. I've got a rather important thing to do in a few minutes." Todd hopped from foot to foot idly, looking over at Rogue with a smile. Rogue continued to smile back and noticed that he was more nervous then normal. She stepped closer to him and attempted to touch his arm but he pulled back and hopped to the side a little. "Um...Rogue, I don't think you wanna touch me right now."

"Why not?" Rogue asked with a bit of surprise in her voice.

"I haven't had a shower."

"That never stopped you from being on anyone before, Toad," Jean retorted with more then a little bit of extra spite in her voice. Rogue rolled her eyes and sighed but Todd merely let the statement pass over his slight shoulders and smiled a little at the tall redhead.

"Actually, that's why I came to the mall today. I came here to go get some soap. Soap I can use."

"What do you mean?" Jean asked, herself now confused.

"I'm amphibian and I have sensitive skin to boot, yo. I have to wash with a soap that's hypo-allergenic at least and preferably one that can be used in animal areas. I've finally gotten over the idea that I'll be buying my hygiene products from a pet store," Todd replied softly. He looked at Rogue and felt his eyes change from deep amber gold to a rich sweet green as he spoke. Rogue saw this and nearly fell over with how cute he was. She idly remembered that this, in fact, was why she liked Todd; underneath all the bitterness was a cute shy kid that was attractive in a way that would put both Bobby Drake and Sam Guthrie to shame. Jean could hear Rogue's thoughts on the matter and began to look at Todd just a little differently...and in a moment, she could see what Rogue saw. She saw why, in fact, Todd was cute...and it unnerved her a little.

"Well...I'm glad you're not causing trouble. Rogue, I'll be over in Forever 21 when you're ready to go," Jean said, her face coloring a little as she walked off. Both Rogue and Todd just looked at one another for a moment, neither speaking, both looking more then a little bit nervous about being alone together again. Todd looked over her shoulder and took a step forward.

"So."

"Yeah..."

"Why you here, yo?"

"...I actually was here to buy you some soap that you could use," Rogue replied, her cheeks burning a little. Todd gaped for a moment but collected himself nicely.

"You were buying me soap because you thought I smelled?"

"No, Todd. I wanted to buy you soap you could use because I remembered reading that you liked bathing but didn't like being sick afterwards. I figured if you were clean, maybe people would have less reason to hate you."

"What do I care about what people feel about me?" Todd asked, his voice swelling with false bravura.

"More then you'd like to admit."

"...you're right, yo." Both smiled at one another then looked down at their feet. More silence happened as both tried to think of what to say. People came and went, passing by them without a word or a sound their way. The ebb and flow of the mall passed by them on all sides and they barely recognized that anything was happening.

"So."

"So."

"...Wanna come with me to get the stuff I need?" Todd asked. Rogue nodded and both walked silently to the pet store. Dogs and cats sat in cages in the windows, barking and meowing at passers by. They walked in the store and Todd proceeded straight to the section for cages and supplies. He picked a large bottle from a shelf, looked at it and nodded to himself. Rogue watched as he hopped back to the counter to pay for it. The bored clerk took the money and gave the pair an odd look but said nothing, not even a thank you as they left the store. Todd looked around and then looked at Rogue for a moment. A small smile graced his face making Rogue warm all over.

"So. I guess this is goodbye for now."

"You're leaving?" Rogue asked softly.

"Yeah. Gotta go take a shower and get ready for meeting you tonight, yo." Todd smiled more at this, the eagerness of being with Rogue again plain on his face. He didn't even try to hide it at all, another fact that made Rogue smile inside despite the heavy blush that spread across her face. She liked knowing that someone was going to all this trouble for her. She also liked that he was just as energetic as she remembered him from before. "That is, if you want me to smell good."

"It's your call. I'm not forcing you to do anything, Todd."

"Well...I wanna look good. For once, I wanna look good." Todd leaned over and squeezed her arm for a moment before turning and hopping off. He stopped a short distance away and waved then proceeded to leave the mall. Some people watched him but most ignored him. Rogue did not. She couldn't stop looking at the doorway he escaped out of, even when Jean re-emerged from the little store she had gone into. Jean saw the slightly dreamy look on Rogue's face and frowned.

'This is more serious then I thought,' Jean thought with a grimace.

***** 

**A/N: **This one is getting fun. I rather like Jean's reaction here. Next time, we get plenty off Wanda angst, a clean and sweet smelling Todd, and mabye another Rogue/Todd kiss. Want more? Review. Reive and all will be given.


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